Inverted Sky: KH Chain of Memories

Chapter 8: Castle Oblivion part VIII

Ice crackled ever so softly as it covered the surface of the walls, ceiling and floor. The hall even having a faint mist from the freezing temperature as Sora stood across from a kneeling Vexen. Said man breathing heavily as he leaned against his tall blue and silver shield, to which he looked between the spikes atop this weapon to gaze at the teen. "This is...beyond my calculations." he uttered out in a bit of surprise.

Though, the brown-haired teen simply offered a brief shrug; "You'd be surprised just how much a serious determination can do for someone." Sora claimed in response as she clutched her Keyblade tightly in one hand.

"Trying to remember my friend is a much better motivation than gaining power, or even escaping this castle." she continued while taking a few steps forward.

"Hmph...oh believe me, I'm well aware. But such a thing can be a double-edged sword." Vexen whispered silently as he simply snapped his fingers.

Immediately following this, a corridor of darkness swirled beside him. Yet instead of escaping through it, another hooded figure stepped through. This one was much shorter than the others Sora had encountered, as they seemed just a little taller than her. "Calling in reinforcements, huh? I guess you're not happy about losing." she commented silently with a tilt of her head in curiosity of what this individual would be like.

With a low and frustrated growl, Vexen turned toward this figure with narrowed eyes. "Get her." was all he said before the hooded person instantly charged toward the now guarding teen.

As the figure's hand hit the metal of girl's golden Keyblade, a burst of wind whipped up around them from the after shock. This causing Sora's hair to blow behind her, while also pushing the hood away from the figure's face. It revealing Riku, yet his eyes were heavily narrowed on the teen in front of him. Said girl blinked a few times in seeing this before a small smirk curled her lips. "Well...'that' was unexpected." she muttered aloud while pushing the boy backward.

"You don't seem surprised." Riku claimed, raising a brow as he glared at the girl.

"It is a surprise...but I'm just wondering what 'you're' doing here." Sora responded, giving a brief glance toward the grinning Vexen immediately after.

Said man slinking off to the side while resting himself against the frozen wall, all while watching this interaction with full fascination. Though, the brown-haired girl's attention quickly returned back to Riku as he spoke up once more. "I'm here for Namine." was all he declared, which made Sora's eyes slowly widen in shock.

'That name...it's the one I forgot.' she thought briefly to herself.

"Hmph! You forgot her, didn't you?" Riku huffed out in a knowing, but also annoyed tone.

Sora's eyes slowly narrowed on the boy, her gaze shifted briefly toward Vexen once more, before back to Riku once more. "But if you're here for her...then that means she's in this castle." she concluded, a determined fire igniting in her eyes.

"That's right...and I'll be the one to bring her home." Riku declared before summoning his wing-like weapon.

"Even if that means going through you to do it." he stated in a firm tone while narrowing his eyes on the girl.

Whom stared at him for a few moments, but soon let out a heavy sigh. "Talk about deja vu." Sora muttered to herself as she shook her head.

"What was that?" Riku demanded as he moved into a battle-ready pose.

"Nothing...but I'm not planning to get in your way of saving her. If anything...I'll help you, as I also want to bring her home." the brown-haired teen claimed.

As Riku listened to this offer though, he just shook his head and gave a rather cold retort. "She doesn't want to see you."

In hearing his words, Sora's eyes widened once more and her breath hitched briefly in her throat. "W-What?" she uttered out silently from utter shock and disbelief.

"Just as I said, she doesn't want to see you. The fact that you forgot Namine, and were even about to leave without her...made it clear that you didn't ever truly see her as a real friend." Riku declared as though accusing the girl of an unforgivable crime, pointing toward her the whole time.

All the while, Sora just slowly tilted her head down in shame of this fact. "That's not true..."she whispered out in an almost voiceless manner.

"How is it not true?! You forgot about her in exchange for power! There is no other way around it, that's just what you did!" Riku yelled in a clearly angry way, further pushing this idea.

The brown-haired girl became silent once more as she didn't have a retort to this, yet her head slowly lifted back up. But while Riku and Vexen were expecting a look of despair or even anger, there was only determination. "Fine...then I won't go to her directly." she stated as her form slowly began taking on a faint yellow aura.

"But it won't prevent me from helping her leave this place." Sora furthered just before seeming to vanish and reappear in front of Vexen in nearly the same moment.

"Even if I have to go through you to do it." she claimed while stabbing her Keyblade into the wall just to his side.

This actually making the man jump briefly in fright as he looked from the weapon in the wall, to Sora herself. Whom was glaring at him with a faint golden ring around her pupils, which made the platinum-blond blink briefly. Yet a slow smile began to curl his lips, to which he held a hand up as Riku attempted to charge at Sora from behind. "It's quite alright...I think I just learned something deeply interesting." he said in a much more calm tone.

As he stepped away from the girl, he placed a finger and thumb to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Yes...this could be quite the find." Vexen muttered to himself before turning toward Riku.

"Lets leave her for now. She has a lot to think about, and you'll have your battle soon enough." he continued, making the silver-haired boy just blink a few times in confusion.

However, he slowly nodded his head in response as he turned back to Sora. "We'll finish this later. Cause I will never accept your help, not when you gave up her memory for your own selfish gain!" he declared, just before he and Vexen disappeared in a corridor of darkness.

Once they were gone, Sora finally pulled her weapon from the wall and looked down slowly. 'I want to rebuke his words...but he's right...I've forgotten Namine because I was so focused on regaining my powers.' she thought in a sad sigh.

"I couldn't even remember her name until he said it." Sora continued aloud, closing her eyes as she did.

"Who's name?" a familiar voice spoke up from behind the girl, making her eyes snap open and swiftly turn around to face Kairi, Donald and Goofy.

The trio just now coming through the doors Sora herself had exited, to which she just looked to each of them. Her almost seeming as frozen as the ice around them, yet she finally managed to speak as the three approached. "Wha-...You guys...you're actually here?" she uttered out in disbelief, looking from one to the other rapidly.

"Yeah...I'm glad we found you." Kairi said as she moved closer to her friend, to which the two teens immediately hugged one another once they were close enough.

"So am I...but I'm so glad you did." Sora responded with a wide grin.

"Well...we weren't about to let you just go running off before we've had our true adventure." the auburn-haired girl stated with her own grin and wink.

Sora chuckled lightly, to which she nodded slowly while separating from the hug. "Yeah...I was sort of expecting to find my way back, but I guess it's not such an easy thing." she started in a sheepish tone and with a matching smile.

"Though I am curious...just how long have I been gone?" she questioned, her eyes blinking in wonder and confusion.

Despite Kairi glancing toward Donald and Goofy, the two just nodded their heads to her as if to say that it would be okay to tell the truth. This lead for the girl to turn back to her friend once more and offer a somewhat apologetic smile. "Almost a month and a half."

Upon these words, Sora blinked many more times as she silently whistled. "That's actually...shorter than I was expecting. Then again...I just thinking that so long as it wasn't like 'a hundred years' or something, I'd be okay with it." she said in a soft giggle, yet she just glanced to each of her friends as a few tears started welling up in her eyes.

"I've felt so alone without you guys." Sora whispered in a somewhat shaky voice as she was trying to keep herself from crying.

But it didn't take long for this to happen as Kairi, Donald and Goofy all gave the girl a tight hug. Sora finally letting herself feel vulnerable as she hugged the trio back and cried; "Thank you." she whispered softly between her sobs.

After a few long moments of this, Sora managed to wipe away the tears and regain some form of composure. Upon which she then loosened and eventually released the hug while looking between the three. "Though...I do need to ask you..." she started, tilting her head curiously to the side.

"Do you remember Na-" Sora continued, yet was cut short as a corridor of darkness opened just to the side of them.

"Did ya miss me~?!" Larxene called out in a clearly mocking tone while looking to the four with a clearly unimpressed gaze.

During this moment, on the top floor of the castle, Marluxia simply chuckled lightly as he watched all of these events unfold. "And now we need only to tear her friends away." he started with a dark smirk on his features, to which his gaze shifted toward Namine briefly.

"Leaving her with only one left whom she can rely on." the pink-haired man finished confidently.

All of this making Namine herself place both hands to her face, just seeming to cry into them. "What have I done?"


I really hope I gave Sora's and Kairi's reunion actual depth this time. Looking back at the original...it was kind of overlooked and felt like it wasn't 'that' important. I'm also hoping all of you like my brief additions with Namine so you can see her reactions to certain events and how she ties into some of them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Until next time.